Police: Ore. man in stolen Mustang crashes trying to evade capture

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GRANTS PASS, Ore. - A man in a stolen Ford Mustang tried to evade state police but lost control and crashed the car Monday evening.

Eddie Joseph Correia Jr. 29, of Grants Pass was taken from the crash scene by ambulance. He is expected to survie his injuries.

State police said the 2005 Mustang was reported stolen a couple weeks ago from a car dealership.

Since then, area law enforcement officers had spotted the vehicle but been unable to stop it.

That changed Monday evening.

Just before 5:30 p.m., two state troopers set up to monitor traffic on Highway 238 after a report that the stolen car had been seen headed that way.

When the Mustang got in visual range of one of the state police cars, the driver sped up and took off. Another trooper deployed a spike strip in the car's path. The spikes hit at least one of the car's tires, but as the driver tried another evasive maneuver, he lost control and crashed. The Mustang overturned and came to rest in a ditch on the side of the highway.

OSP troopers from Grants Pass and Central Point are continuing the investigation with the assistance of Jackson County Sheriff's Office.

Rural Metro Fire Department and ODOT assisted OSP at the scene during a single lane closure for about 3 hours. The vehicle was towed and impounded pending the ongoing investigation.